On Wednesday, the effort to approve higher taxes on corporations and upper-income taxpayers failed when a single Democrat, Sen. Mark Hass, of Beaverton, broke ranks and opposed it.

Hass sided with business lobbyists who want the corporate tax increases to be temporary. His rejection prompted a rare meltdown in a session that had been tightly controlled by Democratic leaders. But Hass, according to sources, has agreed to support the new taxes as long as they're diverted into the state's rainy day fund after 2013.

The idea for the diversion came from another Beaverton Democrat, Rep. Tobias Read.

Comments

•Alternative minimum tax for C-Corporations from $150 for companies with Oregon sales of $500,000 or less, up to a maximum of $100,000 for companies with Oregon sales of more than $100 million. •Increased income tax for corporations with net income over $250,000 to 7.9% in 2009 and 2010, declining to 7.6% for 2011 and 2012. Permanently increase the corporate income tax to 7.6% for companies with net income over $10 million. •Increase S-Corp filing fee to $150. •Increase state filing fee for all other corporations to between $50 and $275. •Permanently increase income tax to 10.8% for individuals with incomes above $150,000 and households above $250,000 and to 11% for individuals with income over $250,000 and households over $500,000.

This information is from the Portland Business Alliance.

We need to make cuts in education and cuts in spending. Everyone gets nervous when you say cuts in education, but no school ever succeeded in getting better test scores by increasing the budgets. In truth, the highest budgeted schools in the state have the lowest test scores.

BY STUART WATSON

BY JON SHADEL

The technology industry is always in flux. And this rapid rate of change poses challenges to companies ranging from nimble startups aiming to make their mark to established organizations fighting to remain relevant. This is particularly true in the competitive digital display market, where an Oregon company has been at the forefront of nearly every major breakthrough in the last three decades.

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Robert S. Wiggins has joined Lane Powell as a Shareholder in the Corporate/M&A Practice Group. Wiggins is a well-known lawyer, entrepreneur, and investor with more than 30 years of experience leading and advising established and emerging companies in the Pacific Northwest. Wiggins will focus his practice on offering outside general counsel services, including general corporate and board representation, business transactions and capital events.